One of the advantages of growing your own herbs is being able to harvest fresh plant parts when you need them. Also, when you grow your own, you can select plants that might not be readily available in the local market. Preserving some herbs will allow their use year round. Drying herbs is the most energy efficient way.
Harvest herbs when the plant has enough foliage to sustain growth. With annual herbs like basil, you can cut 50-75% of the plant and it will recover. Cutting off flower heads will encourage more leaf growth. For perennial herbs like parsley, remove no more than one-third of the plant growth at any one time. Use pruners or a sharp knife to make clean cuts that will heal easily.
Harvest early in the day after plants have dried from the morning dew and before it gets too hot. Make sure that the plants have not been sprayed with pesticides.
The traditional way to preserve herbs is by air drying or by using low heat. Drying concentrates the flavor of herbs so you can use less dried herb than the amount of fresh ones in recipes.
After harvesting, gently wash and dry them thoroughly on paper towels. Pick over them to remove any dead or damaged material. They can be tied in loose bunches and placed in small paper bags with the stems sticking out the top of the bag. Punch ventilation holes in the bag. The bags help protect the drying herbs from dust and other contamination while drying. Place the herb bunches in a warm, dry, well ventilated area out of the sun. It may take up to a month for them to dry completely.
For quicker completion of drying, we utilize a home food dehydrator or our Sun Oven®. We strip the leaves from the stems and spread the leaves on drying trays. Maintain a 95º F temperature for a day. Check the herbs for crunchy dryness and pack carefully into glass jars. Clear glass jars store best in a cool, dark place. Crush the herbs just prior to using them. Most herbs retain their flavor for about a year.
Freezing herbs is easy, but herbs preserved this way are most useful in the cooking process. Frozen herbs often thaw out limp and are not suitable for garnish, but the flavor quality is not altered.

This is the time of year that zucchini are abundant; sometimes too abundant. These chips make a great, healthy snack and, in addition to using up some of the zucchini from your garden, they can be made on a partly cloudy day when the Sun Oven might not reach the highest temperatures.

Sun Baked Zucchini Chips

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat. Line 3 stackable baking racks with parchment paper or silicone mats.

In a large bowl, toss the zucchini slices with the oil, salt, and herbs. Spread the slices out in single layers on the prepared baking racks. Stack the racks in the Sun Oven. Keep the Sun Oven focused to keep the temperature between 200 and 250F. If condensation begins to build up unlatch the door to allow steam to escape. As the zucchini cook and shrink they can be consolidated onto few racks. Continue cooking until browned, removing any that may brown faster as they cook, about 2 hours total.

Persimmons are a sweet and delicious fruit filled with vitamins and minerals. They contain anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and anti-aging compounds. Persimmons are known to help soothe sore throats and irritated digestive tracts. They’re good for colds, constipation, viral infections and acid reflux.

Persimmon tea is a well known acid reflux remedy that can be made by combining 2 quarts of water, 3 cinnamon sticks, and 1/2 cup of thinly sliced fresh ginger into a pot and simmering for 30-60 minutes. When done, remove the cinnamon sticks & ginger from pot and add 1 cup of dried persimmons. Allow the dried persimmons to soak in tea and store entire mixture in the fridge for up to a week. Sip 1/2 cup of this liquid 1-3 times day to stop and prevent symptoms of acid reflux from reoccurring.

There are two popular varieties of persimmons: Hachiyas and Fuyus. Hachiya persimmons have a tear drop shape and must be fully ripe, almost to a pudding, jelly-like consistency before eating. When Hachiya persimmons are fully ripe, they are decadently sweet and are prized around the world for their flavor and health benefits. Fuyu persimmons are hard and crisp like an apple and they can be eaten out of hand or peeled and sliced into pieces. Fuyu persimmons are also delicious dried and are a chewy snack that can help curb your appetite while being packed with energy. Both varieties can be used in a bread recipe much like zucchini or bananas. They add nutritional and healing benefits to your diet.

Billie Nicholson, Editor
December, 2014

This month’s issue includes:

During our conversations with Pearl Harbor Survivors, they continued to warn us of the importance of being prepared – on every level, from our national military down to each individual. During World War II, everyone sacrificed to insure that world peace would be restored.

Mama’s Last Gift ~ Who would expect 33 year old jelly to be any good? The jelly was firm and no crystallization or mold was apparent. A taste test confirmed the goodness within.

Preparing for a Pandemic ~ A pandemic is basically a global epidemic. Learn how to protect your family should a viral sickness begin to spread around the world.

As you make your list and check it twice for holiday gifts, (even from-you-to-you gifts), check out our “Prepared Family Combo.”

When they were in abundance at our farmer’s market, I bought a bunch of summer squash. They are not one of my favorite frozen foods. In an attempt to find an alternative way to preserve them, I dehydrated them in our Sun Oven®. They were sliced in a uniform thickness of 1/4”, spread on parchment paper and sprinkled with seasoned salt and dried oregano. Placed in the Sun Oven® and kept at a temperature of less than 100ºF. by leaving the door propped open, they were dehydrated in 24 hours.

The plan was to store them in glass canning jars, add an oxygen absorber and pull a vacuum seal. That happened on the second batch. The first batch never made it that far. We sampled them and the next thing we knew, we had eaten them all. What a treat! They were better than potato chips and no cooking required. I may never cook summer squash again. Try this and let us know you seasoning recipe.

Dried fruit is great as a snack on their own or chop it up for use in oatmeal and baked goods.

Cinnamon-Apple Slices

Ingredients

4 small apples, cored, peeled, and cut into 1/8-inch slices

sugar (optional)

cinnamon

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat. Line 3 baking racks with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Arrange the apple slices in a single layer on the prepared baking racks. Sprinkle sugar (if using) and cinnamon evenly over the apple slices. Stack the racks in the Sun Oven. Close the glass door but leave it unlatched to allow the steam to escape. Remove the apples when they are dehydrated. Store in an airtight container.

Today I was listening to a video by Healthy Prepper in which she shared the concept of dehydrating fruit and vegetables at their prime ripeness. She had just purchased many bags of price-reduced items. The groceries were beautiful, just really, really ripe. Studies reveal that 40% of food we purchase goes to waste. You can dehydrate almost any fruit or veggie, so there is no reason food should go to waste.

The SUNOVEN® is perfect for dehydrating produce. Green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, grapes and figs are in abundance in my refrigerator. Rather than hope that we’ll get around to eating them all before they spoil, I decided to begin a dehydrating project.

When dehydrating with the SUN OVEN®, focusing the oven into the sun is not necessary. The goal is to have a consistent temperature that ranges from 110º – 155º F. Keep the latches open for moisture and excess heat to escape. A higher temperature will effectively cook the produce rather than dry it. Use parchment paper and the racks provided with the oven. Drying time will vary depending on thickness. Try to be consistent so the pieces will dry at about the same rate. Check the oven from time to time to see how things are going. If your fruit or vegetables have not dried by the end of the day, simply leave them inside the SUN OVEN® over night. Collapse the reflectors and latch the door. The next day, resume drying with the door unlatched. For more details, watch our video on Dehydrating with the Sun Oven®.

After the produce has dried, there are a variety of ways to store them. The figs were packed in FoodSaver® bags and vacuum sealed. The Bay Laurel leaves, were stored in a plastic container. The tomatoes were stored in a glass jar with an oxygen absorber and vacuum sealed. What a great way to increase your food storage, reduce waste, and use the sun’s energy. What are you drying?

Lisa Lynn, from The Self Sufficient Home Acre presented alternative ways to preserve food during the 2014 Survival Summit. Food preservation is important because fresh food has a short shelf life. Extending the life of food allows for less waste. We all need to expand our preservation skills as part of our survival plans. We have no guarantee that we will have food in the future just because we have some today. Whether we acquire food from a grocery store or by foraging, hunting, fishing or gardening, these tips are useful.

Some preservation techniques require purchasing additional equipment, like pressure or waterbath canners, vacuum sealers and their supplies. In the long run, you can save money and more importantly, you know the quality and the source of the food you preserve. There are several techniques that can be used without electricity.

Root cellars and clamping involve storing fruits and vegetables in cool storage. Root cellars need to be below ground far enough to be below the freeze zone. They need to have good ventilation and a way to control the humidity and temperature as different crops have varied optimum storage requirements. Clamping involves digging a trench, adding straw layers below and above the stored food, covering the straw with soil and a tarp. Stored items need to be checked frequently, using or discarding the oldest or any that are past their prime. Remember one rotten apple can spoil the rest.

Dehydrating fruits and vegetables allows for longer storage time, the food is often much lighter and more portable. Herbs can be dried by simply hanging them in a dry place out of direct sunlight.

The Sun Oven® can be used for dehydrating fruit, vegetables or meat. You need to watch the temperature so the food doesn’t get cooked. Alternatively, you can build a fire, cover it with a lattice of branches, then smoke and dehydrate at the same time.

If you smoke meat, the temperature should be 145º F. Adding green wood, small twigs & branches to a low fire will create lots of smoke. The length of drying time will depend on the thickness of the meat slices. Adding salt to thin strips will speed up the process. Salt is a natural preservative. It draws moisture out and kills bacteria. To extend the shelf life, add ground celery seed as natural nitrates to kill bacteria. The drier the meat, the longer you can keep it. Moist cured meat should be used within six months. Store it in temperatures from 36-40º F. Place it in an air-tight, non-reactive container – don’t use cast iron or aluminum pans. Fish can also be smoked and dried or salted and air dried.

Fermenting and culturing food with bacteria and yeast causes a chemical change in the food that allows it to be kept for a longer time. Examples of fermented and cultured food include sauerkraut, cheese, yogurt, kimchee and pickles. The probiotics present in this process increase the nutrition and digestibility of foods.This process creates some marvelous, complex flavors. Plan to use jars or crocks and colored sea salt (not processed). The standard fermenting recipe is 6 TBS salt to 1/2 gallon water. Lactobacilli thrive in a fermenting environment and repel other decomposing bacteria. Make a liquid to submerge the vegetables. Cover and watch for bubbles, that’s a sign the process is working. You will need to add an airlock valve or burp the lid from time to time to let the gas out. Store in a cool place. Fermented foods will keep for several months, but most foods are not suited for very long storage.

Editor’s Note: After Hurricane Ivan, a friend of ours dug a pit in the ground, lined it with plastic bags, straw and rock salt. Into it she placed the frozen contents of her freezer, covered it with plastic bags, followed by more rock salt and straw and topped with styrofoam. Things stayed frozen for nearly two weeks in the hot Florida weather.

Apple harvest time this year produced lots of fruit. We canned slices, made apple sauce and dried some. The SunOven® works well as a fruit dehydrator. First we set the SunOven® outside, but not focused on the sun. We wanted a slight preheat but to less than 100º. Apples were washed and aligned in a Norpro “Apple Master”, an apple peeler, corer, and slicer. A few turns of the handle made quick work of the first apple. Slide the apple spiral slices off the core and place them on a cutting board.

Slice the spiral in half. Place the apple slices in a solution of water and Fruit Fresh® ascorbic acid (follow directions on bottle) to keep the slices from turning dark.

Cover the drying racks with parchment paper and drain apple slices. Line them up on the racks. Carefully arrange the racks inside the SunOven®. Leave the door latches under the glass door to allow air flow and keep the temperature low inside. We turn the oven so it is behind the sun track. Check at the end of the day. If not completely dry, latch and leave over night. Finish the next day. When slices are dry, remove from racks and pack into a clean glass jar. Add an oxygen absorber and pull a vacuum with a Food Saver® or by hand with a clean brake bleeder. Store cool and dark.

Summer is almost over, which means my favorite fruit, peaches, will soon disappear from the markets. Fresh, in pies, cobblers, or jams – I could eat them every day. This is my first batch dehydrated in the Sun Oven. I plan on enjoying them in the dead of winter – if I can resist that long.

Since I’d never dehydrated anything other than tomatoes before, I did a quick search for some tips. The best information I found was on the Georgia Peaches website – you can find it here. They recommend dipping the slices in an ascorbic acid or some kind of sugar solution to help preserve the color of the fruit. I chose the ascorbic acid (Fresh Fruit) option because I didn’t want any added sugar. I also got the idea to use cheese cloth to line the racks.

Unfortunately, after all the time I spent searching for help and then preparing the fruit, I didn’t get the peaches in the oven until almost noon. By the end of the day they were not quite done (but that didn’t stop me from eating half the top layer) but a couple of hours tomorrow should do the trick.

To use a Sun Oven as a dehydrator, prop the glass door open by letting it rest on the metal clasps. This will let the moisture escape. Then, position the oven so it’s not directly in the sun. You want to reach a temperature of 150F or so. The Sun Oven will need to be repositioned every half hour or so to keep it from getting too hot. The hardest part of Sun Oven drying is keeping the temperature low enough. I set a timer (one that I can hear from anywhere in the house) to remind myself to move the oven.